APRIL 2021

2021

Wilson News

Included Articles Pastor’s message

Church board notes WJA students’s notes Miscellaneous Notices

Interview with Gary Berger Calendar

Primary student’s art

HHiHHH

He Lives It was a dark day as the believers in Christ witnessed and heard of the death of Jesus on the cross. All their hopes were shattered. They never dreamed that this would be how it all ended. Their Savior was dead, and so was their hope. After His death, Jesus was taken down from the cross and ultimately laid in a tomb. Mark tells the story in chaper 15: “Then he [Joseph] bought fine linen, took Him down, and wrapped Him in the linen. And he laid Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone against the door of the tomb.” This was devastately discouraging, and would continue to be today except for the wonderful fact that Jesus didn’t stay in the tomb! We are told that Jesus remained in the tomb through the Sabbath hours, but then on Sunday He came forth! Mark 16:6 continues the story: “But he [the young man sitting by the grave] said to them, ‘Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Narazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him.” Jesus who willingly laid down His life for the forgiveness of our sins, took His life up again, and then after some time ascended back to heaven. The Bible is very clear – the Savior, Jesus Christ, is not dead, but He lives! John quotes Jesus in chaper 14:1-3, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also.” He has gone to prepare a place for us, but while He is gone, He is not absent. I appreciate the old hymn composed by Alfred Ackley in 1933. It has been a favorite of many through the years as the lyrics describe an ever-present Savior who walks with us though this life. The popular hymn is entitled “He Lives.” The first verse and chorus are as follows:

I serve a risen Savior, He’s in the world today. I know that He is living, whatever men may say. I see His hand of mercy, I hear His voice of cheer; And just the time I need Him, He’s always near.

He lives! He lives! Christ Jesus lives today!

He walks with me and talks with me along life’s narrow way. He lives! He lives salvation to impart!

You ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my heart.

What a joy to know that Christ is not still in the tomb, but is even now preparing a place for each believer! What wonderful comfort it is to know that we serve a Savior who knows and cares about every detail of our lives, and is doing all in His power to see each one safely through this life, and ultimately to take us home to be with Him forever! Pastor Hubbard

Some things that are happening at WJA:

Mrs. Berger asked her students -- What is your favorite thing about going to church ?

Here are some of the answers:

I like to see friends and play with them. Ellyana I like to go up for Children’s Story. Ava My favorite thing about church is Children’s Story. Cari Seeing my friend Ezra and sometimes I get to sit with the Boerschingers. I like going to Sabbath School too. Moesly I like to do Sabbath School. I like Sabbath School because of the stories. The stories are so funny, like a cat story we just heard. Somebody had a cat and there was a bear and every time the cat would scare the bear the bear went up the tree Sarah My favorite part is Childrens’s Story. I enjoy it because I love stories. They’re my favorite thing. One more thing, I also love hearing the Pastor preach because he turns it into a story almost always. Cora I like going to Sabbath School, and Children’s Story. I like hearing God’s promises and his messages with my friends and family. Listening to my favorite Pastor preaching is also good. Ezra How great is this? Encouraging for the pastor, and for parents who faithfully bring their children to Sabbath School and church service. More of these comments next month. Mrs. Berger’s students have also done some rather good water color painting in their art class. See the attached pages.

From the March church board meeting: The personal ministries leader (Cyndie Priser) reports that the BibleStudy.com mailing has been ordered and the available money almost completely covers that cost. She also reported that the students have helped the Escanaba Food Pantry people with distributing food from the Feed America truck, and there are plans to repeat that on March 18 at the new Gourley Township hall. The school board chairman Kevin Boerschinger reports that the Carney school is up-grading their play ground equipment (thanks to the passage of the milage request} and will give WJA what they now have. The school board chairman and the Pathfinder leader Russ Berger presented a request to the board to repurpose the display case in the entry hall of the school to house the painting donated to the school by Nathan Greene some years ago. Pathfinder memorabilia would be moved and displayed in various places in the new church. Given that the Patherfinder program is a major item in the church’s program, the board endorsed this plan. . Follow up: The Feed America truck did come to the township hall on March 18, and 370 boxes of food were distributed with the help of students from the 9th and 10th grades at WJA, as well as several from the Carney public school. There were several adults from the Escanaba church, the Carney community, as well as Pastor Tony Ludwig, and the Feed America truck driver. A good work was done…

More about the Food Pantry --- The Escanaba group was the one that made the initial contacts to make the Feed America program available to the UP. For this year they have a grant which will bring this service to the UP every month this year. Volunteers are needed/welcome during the times the pantry is open to the public, 1-4 pm Mondays and Fridays. Help is also needed on Wednesdays from 11 am onward when deliveries are made. There is cleaning, stocking, organizing that needs to be done on that day. Those who have taken this project on are grateful for the help we have given.

APRIL Bev Berger - 3 Cora DeGrave – 3 Jewell Richards – 4 Kevin Boerschinger - 5 Josh Murray – 4 Liz Parmentier – 6 Max Savage – 6 Annie Soper – 6 Savannah Naranjo – 9 Tim Groleau – 10 Blaine Pearson -11 Glen Pearson -12 Jacob Parmentier – 14 Lynn Parmentier – 17 Zeb Boerschinger – 18 Leslie Messersmith -21 Gloria Lanaville – 23 Dexter Buell – 24 Sarah Moravetz – 25 Teddy Messersmith – 25 Danielle Berger – 28 Brandee Groleau - 29

Miscellaneous Notifications *Andrea Walechka announces that the next Kids’ Bible study will consider Acts chapters 1 to 10. Adults of the church are invited to come and join the kids in a game of Bible trivia based on those chapters. Moms and Dads, Grandmas and Grandpas – are you up for this?

*For sale: Shaun and Carrie’s Family’s maple syrup – bold fire flavored: $15/qt; free range chicken eggs: $3/doz

*The Gourley Township Historical Society is up and running. The meeting on the evening of March 25th had six people in attendance, and the remembering was a lot of fun. The next meeting will be April 29, the last one before summer. We will resume in the fall. If you have family stories or pictures involving some of the legacy families in the township, please consider shaing them. Ivy Netzel, Char Moon, Annie Soper are contact people.

*Our Bible Study offer cards are in production and will be sent to Bark River, Wilson, Powers, Carney, Dagget, Powers, and Stephenson. Anyone who is willing to deliver these lessons to those requesting them, please contact Cyndie Priser or Tom Onjuka.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ One of the things several people have said they enjoy about the newsletter is interviews with members. To that end, this editor has asked different people to do an interview with someone they want to know better to share with the wider membership. We have quite a few people attending who are new to our community and congregation, and I have thought it would be interesting to them to be able to identify some of the older members and know something about them. To that end, this month we feature a snippet about Gary Berger. Annie Soper was the interviewer.

Gary Berger was born December 27, 1946, the first son of Ralph and Leone Berger, residents of Gourley Township in Menominee Country, Michigan. In a few more years he had two brothers, Tim and Tom. The family lived across the river from Ralph’s parents, Arthur and Annie Berger, and not far from several other Berger families. When he was old enough to go to school, he attended the small Seventh-day Adventist school in “Jam Dam” for grades one through eight. Then in 1961 he left home to attend Battle Creek Academy in lower Michigan for high school, graduating in 1965. There was a war going on at that time, and Gary knew that he would be drafted. Almost all young men were waiting for their “number” to be called but he decided not to wait, and in March of 1967 volunteered for the draft as a medic in the US Army. He was sent to Ft. Sam Houston, Texas, for his basic training and, sure enough, when his training was completed he was sent to the jungles of Viet Nam. After serving his two years in the United States Army he returned home, joined his Dad and brothers in the “Berger & King” business. He was glad to be back in the U.P. with family and familiar people. Interestingly, while he was away from home, the local “little girls” had grown up and, yes, Gary noticed. One especially, Beverly Lanaville, caught the eye of the returned soldier, and in December of 1971, the Bergers and the Lanavilles, along with other family and friends, celebrated the marriage of Gary and Bev in the Wilson Seventh-day Adventist church. Their pastor, Elder Broom, officiated.

About Gary, continued…

The next year the couple welcomed their son Greg on December 4, and on February 19, in 1976, daughter Dana completed their family. Tragedy struck the family in February of 1992 when Greg and his girlfriend Shirley were killed in a car accident. Sometimes it is hard to understand the “whys,” but Gary, Bev, and Dana still trusted in God. Then the blessing of grandchildren took the edge off the pain of loss -– Jacob (Jake) and Mikayla (Kaya or Kay Kay) are definitely the “apples” of Papa’s eye. Through the years Gary has worked hard as a plumber and heating technician, and played just as hard. His favorite pastime is playing golf, with skiing and motor biking not far behind. Gary has also been involved in the church, working with the Pathfinder club, the juniors, and as sexton for the cemetery. The church and school have often been the beneficiaries of his skills as a craftsman, and his willingness to do what needs to be done. To sum up: Gary’s faith in God is what “keeps him sane” in this world and is his hope for the future.